Hitching up your Harry High Pants

Well here here we have it. A new generation of wonder girls hitching up their Harry high pants and taking super mum to the next level. It was always coming. It’s what our generations call power women (yes I use plural for the word generation for those of you still in your teeny pre-20’s with the rest of us in or faking to be in the 20’s bracket so we can feel decidedly more hipster). These power women are the ladies who manage a successful 6-digit income, double kids, double houses, double incomes, double everything.And yet, as the wonderful Stylist columnist Lucy Mangan, so rightly pointed out a few weeks back, we probably do need to seek out a new definition of “having it all”. It is a really interesting thought. Wasn’t it only a few years ago that we were being told all these things meant a woman had it all? Does the definition change as quickly as your favourite social media app.So how is this relevant to acting B.A.B.E. I hear you say as you simultaneously sip your double skinny latte, apply your Benetint and navigate through the swarming peak hour crowds on route to your first audition of the week? Well, put simply, it isn’t relevant AT ALL!The wonderfully brilliant thing for actors who aren’t still stuck in the corporate rut of a 9-6 day job to pay their bills, is that you are the chosen ones who fall into the new definition of “having it all”.Yes you are.I came from a world of corporate lands, revenue, and KPIs in a previous life and I know, given the chance to go

back to that income and work insanity would kill me mentally. It doesn’t agree with me. It did at one point, just not anymore. Sure, I have lots of wonderfully powerful, savvy and fabulous friends who love their corporate day jobs and are great at them, but it came to a point where it was no longer like that for me. The daily creativity of being an actor sits on my body so much better and it gives me a much more beautiful view of the world.

And yes, of course, from time to time things get hard and I can be worried about money. Sometimes I temp again. Sometimes I beg my parents to buy me dinner (I’m not back home enough to make it a weekly affair but trust me, I would). But the difference between me and Joe down the road, is I’ve chosen (YES WE DO CHOOSE) to be an actor and take with that, all that it encompasses – the good, the bad, and the bloody brilliant. We have seen a huge turn in society of late towards people shifting back into small business, working from home, creating more opportunities to have seasonal holidays, allowing for a more holistic approach to life, and simply getting back to grass roots. It is a beautiful thing to see, and even more beautiful to be a part of. I want to do the same. I love that my parents don’t work full time but instead have a balanced life, enjoy all of the good parts of life, and still don’t have to stress daily about how they will feed themselves. They get it and they make it work. Having it all is following a path that truly inspires you. Having it all is a woman who embraces her love of life and goes confidently in the direction of her dreams (thanks Thoreau) towards a place that gives her daily enlightenment. Having it all does not include the complainers, whiners, miserable folk or Negative Nelly’s. So take a moment, take a breath and consider – am I actually on the path already to Having It All? If the answer is even half a yes, pat yourself on the back, smille and thank your lucky stars you don’t have to peel potatoes for a living…unless of course you are acting as a potato peeler for a movie role!You are one of the new empowered women who are part of a new generation taking Wonder Woman to the next level and it looks good on you!